Hey drivers watch out for the turtles!

MNR News Release

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Thousands of turtles are struck and killed by motor vehicles every year. Along with the loss of wetlands, habitat degradation and illegal collection, road mortality is one of the biggest threats facing Ontario’s turtles.

During the spring and summer, the threat of vehicles to turtles is at its highest. This is especially true for females as they wander away from water in search of nesting sites. Some even try to nest on gravel roads or on the shoulders of paved roads.

WHAT CAN DRIVERS DO?

• Watch the road carefully when you're driving, especially where the roads are close to wetlands and rivers.
• Remember that turtles don't move very quickly, and their first response to danger is to pull into their shells.
• If it’s safe to do so, you can help by moving a turtle off the road in the direction it was heading.
• Report your turtle sightings by entering your observations into the Toronto Zoo’s on-line database (http://www.torontozoo.com/adoptapond/TurtleTally.asp) or by contacting your local Ministry of Natural Resources office. The information that is collected will be submitted to the Natural Heritage Information Centre and will be used to learn more about turtle distributions in Ontario.

ABOUT ONTARIO’S NATIVE TURTLES

• There are eight species of turtles in Ontario, six of which are considered species at risk under the province’s Endangered Species Act.
• Turtles live a long time – some can live 90 years or longer!
• Some turtles don’t start to lay eggs until they are 20 or more years old. Surviving turtles can’t lay extra eggs to make up for the adults that have been killed, so once a population starts to decline, it is difficult to reverse the trend.

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